Sri Lanka Moves Iranian Sailors After Warship Attack

Colombo: Sri Lanka on Friday began transferring more than 200 sailors from an Iranian naval vessel to shore after the ship requested assistance while anchored outside Sri Lankan waters. The move comes amid rising tensions in the Indian Ocean following the sinking of an Iranian warship by a US submarine earlier this week.

Sri Lanka Navy spokesman Commander Buddhika Sampath said the sailors aboard the Iranian logistics vessel IRIS Bushehr are being brought to the port of Colombo. After completing medical checks and immigration procedures, the crew members will be taken to the naval base at Welisara, located about 20 kilometers north of Colombo.

According to the navy, the disembarkation process is currently underway. The vessel itself will later be moved to the eastern port city of Trincomalee with assistance from Sri Lankan naval authorities.

The Sri Lankan government decided to take control of the vessel after one of its engines reportedly failed while it was near the country’s waters. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the decision was made after discussions with Iranian officials and the ship’s captain.

“We have to understand this is not a normal situation. A ship belonging to another country requested entry into our port, so we acted according to international treaties and conventions,” the president told journalists.

The incident follows a major naval strike on Wednesday when a US submarine sank the Iranian warship IRIS Dena off the coast of Sri Lanka. The rare attack marked one of the few times since World War II that a submarine has sunk a surface warship.

The Iranian warship had recently participated in multinational naval exercises hosted by India before heading back toward Iranian waters. According to India’s Defence Ministry, naval forces from at least 74 countries took part in the exercises, including the US Navy.

After receiving a distress signal from the Dena, the Indian Navy launched search and rescue operations using aircraft and a sailing training vessel. However, Sri Lanka had already started rescue efforts by the time India responded.

Sri Lankan authorities rescued 32 sailors from the water and recovered 87 bodies following the attack.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the warship had nearly 130 crew members on board and condemned the sinking, calling it an “atrocity at sea.” He warned that the United States would “bitterly regret” the attack.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has emphasized that its actions were purely humanitarian. President Dissanayake said some Iranian crew members would remain on board the Bushehr to assist Sri Lankan naval officers in navigating the ship to Trincomalee. The remaining sailors will stay at a naval base while the situation is handled.

Sri Lanka has maintained that it is acting according to international maritime law and its policy of neutrality.

Former Sri Lankan Foreign Secretary H. M. G. S. Palihakkara said the country had no choice but to respond to the distress call.

“When a ship sends a distress signal, countries must provide help under international law. Sri Lanka acted responsibly to save lives and provide medical assistance,” he said.

The incident highlights how tensions involving Iran are expanding beyond the Middle East into the Indian Ocean, placing Sri Lanka in a sensitive position as it tries to balance humanitarian responsibilities with its long-standing policy of neutrality.